The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
CTV News – Tech Companies Ask Quebec Premier to Pause French Requirements for Immigrants
A group of Canadian technology companies is calling on the Quebec premier to pause a bill requiring immigrants to learn French within six months of arriving in the province. The 37 companies argued in a Tuesday letter to Francois Legault that the time frame immigrants have before they must use French for official purposes under Bill 96 is “an unrealistic deadline” for people adapting to a new home and could “do enormous damage to the province’s economy.”
National Post – Millions of Canadians Believe in White Replacement Theory: Poll
Abacus surveyed 1,500 randomly selected, nationally representative Canadian adults from May 20 to 24, as part of a series called “Trust & Facts: What Canadians Believe.” Respondents were also asked about specific conspiracy theories. More than one-third of Canadians believe in the so-called white replacement theory. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents, representing 11 million Canadians, agreed with the statement: “There is a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native-born Canadians with immigrants who agree with their political views.”
National Post – ‘No Standard’: Immigration Program for Artists and Athletes Faces Judicial Review
An immigration program the department’s own case managers reported to be confusing for applicants, with a high-rate of refusals, and a significant backlog will face a judicial review next week. Canada has a small immigration category for self-employed artists and athletes that is separate from other immigration streams. Immigration lawyer Pantea Jafari is representing just over a hundred of them who had their cases rejected after their files were transferred from the embassy in Ankara, Turkey, to one in Warsaw, Poland.
Edmonton Journal – ‘No Longer Have that Tension or That Fear’: Afghan Refugee Families Making Edmonton Home
Fears of cars exploding, his children being kidnapped or their school being attacked no longer plague Hamidullah Fidel since his family fled Afghanistan for a new start in Edmonton. The family of six uprooted from their Kabul home after Taliban forces entered the country’s capital city on Aug. 15, 2021. Since that time, 674 Afghan refugees have resettled in Edmonton, according to Catholic Social Services. Fidel’s family arrived in Canada on Jan. 11, 2022, part of a group of 172 Afghan refugees with a connection to the Afghan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO).
Globe and Mail – Ottawa Still Silent on Afghans Seeking Refuge in Canada
Afghans who worked for the Canadian government in Afghanistan are still waiting for federal immigration authorities to contact them, a month after Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said those who are seeking resettlement in Canada would hear from his department within weeks. One of the would-be refugees is Mohammad Salim Saberi, a former security guard for Canada’s embassy in Kabul. He said he is feeling increasingly disheartened.
CBC News – Learn French in 6 Months? Quebec-Commissioned Report Shows Why That’s Nearly Impossible
As part of the qualitative study, researchers interviewed 58 adults who had recently arrived in Quebec from countries around the world. The most common were Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Burundi. The focus in particular was on what changes could be made to a government-funded French program to improve outcomes for those without a strong educational background. Some of those interviewed were unable to read in their native language.
